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中国茶文化史上，文人常常就是茶人。他们品茗阅读，著书写茶。明末清初的散文家张岱就是其中之一。张岱（1597-1679），字宗子、石公，号陶庵，山阴(今浙江绍兴)人，侨居杭州。他的散文取公安派、竟陵派诸家之长，风格以公安派的清新流畅为主调，在描写刻画上杂以竟陵派的冷峭诙谐之趣，短隽有味。除此之外，张岱在中国茶文化史上占有重要的一席，他不仅精于茶道，还以茶明志、借茶抒情，创作了为数甚多的茶散文作品。后世有人称其为“茶散文家”，倒也是不为过的。
张岱出身仕宦之家，曾漫游苏、浙、鲁、皖等地区，常盘桓于沪、宁、杭一带，游览名山大川，了解各地风情习俗、物产土宜。他性情旷达，守大节而不拘泥小节，兴趣爱好广泛。在诸多癖好中，嗜茶为甚，喜品茶鉴水。
亲制兰雪
张岱的茶癖自幼习染，秉承家风，未至不惑之年，已是茶艺精湛，冠绝一时。张岱的家乡山阴盛产日铸茶，名望素著。“日铸雪芽”在宋朝已被列为贡品，且为当时社会名流馈赠之珍品，为文人墨客所钟爱，有“越州日铸茶，为江南第一”之誉。张岱对故乡的日铸茶赞不绝口，他在《陶庵梦忆》中夸赞日铸茶隽永独特：“日铸者，越王铸剑地也。茶味棱棱，有金石之气。”传说春秋时期，越国铸剑大师欧冶子至此，一日间铸成历史上著名的“越王剑”，故名日铸。日铸茶汤浓、味酽、爽口，这也许便是张岱所赞美的“棱棱有金石之气”。然而到了明代，安徽休宁松萝茶制法精妙，名噪一时，盖过日铸。
张岱为振兴家乡茶业，改良日铸，创制新品种，招募徽州歙人专事松萝茶的师傅入日铸山授业。他在散文《兰雪茶》中自述：“遂募歙人入日铸。拘法、掐法、挪法、撒法、扇法、炒法、焙法、藏法，一如松萝。”进而他又探究泉水，发现“他泉瀹之，香气不出，煮禊泉，投以小罐，则香太浓郁，杂入茉莉，再三较量，用敞口瓷瓯淡放之。候其冷，以旋滚汤冲泻之，色如竹箨方解，绿粉初匀，又如山窗初曙，透纸黎光。取清妃白，倾向素瓷，真如百茎素兰同雪涛并泻也。雪芽得其色矣，未得其气。”张岱将新品种戏呼之曰“兰雪”，品赏把玩，自得其乐。他的这一发明后逐渐流行开来，如此四五年后，兰雪茶风靡茶市，绍兴之饮茶者一改往日饮松萝的习惯，反倒非兰雪不饮。此风播及徽州，原来徽人惟松萝茶者也改饮兰雪，“不食松萝，只食兰雪”，“松萝贬身价俯就兰雪”。后来，连松萝茶亦改名“兰雪”了，可惜今已失传。
以茶会友
在张岱的许多著作中，记述了不少生动的茶事。例如《闵老子茶》，详尽记录了张岱与精于茶道的著名老茶人闵汶水的品茶辨泉的经过，极为生动，富有茶趣。明崇祯十一年(1638)九月的一天，张岱专程前往桃叶渡拜访闵老子。张岱想亲口品尝这位高手煎的茶，可偏巧闵汶水大清早便外出，张岱等到午后，闵老子才回家。谁知闽老子进屋后只是简单和张岱寒暄几句，便又借故径自出门去了。张岱已经等了老半天，好不容易等到他回来，却又走了，但是为了能品尝到这位高手煎的茶，只好耐着性子继续等下去。直到夜深时分，闵老子方慢悠悠地返回。一进门，看了张岱一眼，颇为奇怪地问：“客人你还在啊？你在这里干什么呢？”张岱恭敬地回答：“慕汶老久，今日不畅饮汶老茶，决不回去。”汶水有感于张岱的一番诚意，遂大喜，“自起当炉”，把煎茶绝技展示出来，并带张岱至内室，展示其收藏的茶具，“荆溪壶（宜兴紫砂壶）、成宣窑瓷瓯十余种，皆精绝”。闵汶水瀹茶后，有心考考张岱，故意不说出茶与泉的真名。张岱精于茶艺，尝遍天下名茶，现在亲眼见到如此精绝茶汤，啜了一口，便问闵汶水：“此茶产于何地？”闵老子随便回答：“四川阆中产的阆苑茶。”张岱在灯光下见茶汤之色与瓷瓯之色无别，而茶香溢人，但是他对闵汶水的说法表示怀疑，又品了一口，说：“汶老别哄我，这茶是阆苑的制法，但滋味却不像！”闵汶水微微一笑，说：“那么你说，是什么茶？”张岱再品之，说：“极似罗芥茶。”闵汶水惊曰：“奇、奇。”张岱又问水是何水。闵汶水说：“惠泉。”张岱又说：“别哄我，惠泉在千里之外，何能鲜爽不损？”汶水对张岱的精鉴连连称奇，抽身而去，不一会儿，又持一壶满斟，递给张岱。张岱品鉴道：“此茶香烈味酵，乃春茶也，刚才喝的是秋茶。”闵老子听罢开怀大笑，方识眼前这位茶客是品茗鉴水的行家，乃茶中知己，他不得不承认：“予年七十，精赏鉴者，无客比。”两人遂结成忘年交。
张岱不仅在散文《闵老子茶》中追记真人真事，还在论茶时发出无限慨叹：“金陵闵老子死后，茶之一道绝矣!”这不能不说是中国茶史上的一段佳话。
寻泉访水
龙井茶、虎跑水被誉为“双绝”。我国古代茶艺就是茶与水的艺术配对和组合，佳茗配佳泉，凡提品茗，总是把茶和水联在一块的。茶的色、香、味、形便是通过水的冲泡溶解，以眼观、鼻闻、口尝的方式提供茶人以享受的。善品茶者，必善品水。历代文人品泉择水都以惠山泉为上，明代文人尤其如此。张岱是鉴水行家，在散文《闵老子茶》中就有写到他与闵老子论泉的事。闵老子向张岱传授了保持泉水鲜爽之法：“在汲水前先淘净泉井，待子时后新泉涌现时才汲取，并用山石铺垫瓮底。运水之舟非江风满帆则不行船，所以才保持了水的鲜活。”张岱得知此法后，为了得到惠山泉，还组织过一个专门运送惠泉水的物流机构，按上述方法定时运输，收取水费。由于惠泉珍贵，加上运程远，供不应求。
为解决品茗用水，张岱经常寻泉访水。此事他在散文《禊泉》中有所记述：明万历四十二年(1614)，他途经斑竹庵，取庵边泉水品尝，其水质磷磷有圭角，清冽甘美，他大感惊异，于是他坐在泉井边观看水色，但见水色有如“秋月霜空，噗天为白”，又如“轻岚出岫，缭松迷石，淡淡欲散”。随后，他忽然发现布满苔藓的泉水口有字划，便用帚刷洗，只见露出“禊泉”二字，书法甚似王右军，这使他更加惊异。于是，他住进斑竹庵，汲取泉水，烹煮瀹茶，水注入后，茶香溢出。但他发觉刚汲的泉水有股石腥味，待放置三日后，石腥味才尽散。这篇散文绘声绘色地表现了他善于辨水的高超本领。本来品水如参禅，全凭悟性，只可意会，不可言传，可张岱能用精微的文字表述出来，真是举重若轻，游刃有余。禊泉澄澈清冷，水质甘洌，相传为晋代大书法家王羲之于永和九年(353)三月初三与当时名士谢安等会集绍兴兰亭修禊宴饮之泉。张岱对禊泉大加推崇，认为杭州虎跑水、会稽陶溪水、萧山北干水均不能与禊泉为伍。禊泉与惠泉也不相上下，惠泉水经过长途运输会变质，禊泉水随汲随饮，其鲜活自然胜惠泉一筹。从此禊泉受到茶人重视，民众纷纷前往汲取，甚至有人以此牟利，装瓮出售。消息传到绍兴太守董方伯耳中，他差人取水品饮，果然甘美无比。犹恐泉水供应不足，他便下令封泉，未经许可，不准汲取。这样禊泉反而声名大振。
张岱辨水品泉之精，达到出神入化的地步，其辨水本领不亚于唐之陆羽、李德裕，宋之王安石、苏轼。当年张岱经营运输惠山泉水业务时，他的手下人为了省力，未到惠山，在半路上随便汲水运回。张岱一品味，发现不对，但是当差的百般抵赖。于是张岱召集运水的差人，当场品泉辨水，说出这是某地某泉的水，众人大为惊诧，便将实话说了出来。张岱不愧是辨水的高手行家，自称“水淫茶癖”，名不虚传。□
Zhang Dai: ea and Water Gourmet
By Liu Lufeng
In the history of Chinese tea, the most prominent figures are scholars. In ancient times, scholars enjoyed tea and wrote books on various aspects of the healthy beverage. Lu Yu (733-804) wrote The Book of Tea, the world’s very first encyclopedic book on tea. Zhang Dai (1597-1679), a preeminent essayist of the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, was one of these scholarly tea gourmets.
Zhang Dai, a native of Shaoxing in eastern Zhejiang Province, was celebrated for his fresh and concise prose style and witty humor. He is also known for a significant role he played in the history of tea. He was well versed in tea and he wrote quite a few essays on tea. For this reason, he is known as a tea essayist.
Boy and man, Zhang liked tea and became a knowledgeable tea scholar and gourmet. His extensive travel across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui, all tea-production provinces in eastern China, gave him wide experience and knowledge in tea and water. Now it happens that Zhang’s hometown Shaoxing once produced a famous tea called Rizhu Tea. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279) the tea was a tribute to the royal house and a good gift among social celebrities. It was loved by literati. By the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the brand had deteriorated and Songluo Tea made in the neighboring Anhui Province had become better known on the market. In order to revive the local production, Zhang Dai employed masters of Songluo Tea from Anhui. In Zhang’s employment, the masters used the same process to produce Rizhu Tea. With the tea quality solved, Zhang turned his eyes to the way of steeping tea. After numerous experiments, he invented a sophisticated way to make tea with spring water. The formula made a good cup of tea. In a few years, his formula became very popular. Zhang named it Snow Orchid. Tea drinkers in Shaoxing all gave up Songluo Tea and got converted to Snow Orchid. Even tea drinkers in Anhui became addicted to Snow Orchid.
Zhang Dai wrote “Master Min’s Tea” to record his visit to an experienced tea master surnamed Min. In September 1638, Zhang Dai went to visit the master. But the master had left in the early morning. Zhang waited for his return patiently. The master came back in the afternoon. But after a brief greeting, the master left again. Zhang had to wait. It was not until late at night that the master came back. The master became extremely curious why the guest was still there. Zhang replied reverently that he wanted to have a cup of tea made by the master and that he would not leave until he had the drink. Master Min was overjoyed to meet such a tea fanatic. So he started a fire and began to prepare tea. While tea was in the making, the master showed Zhang his collection of precious tea sets. Then the master served Zhang Dai a cup of tea. Zhang tasted it and asked what tea it was. Now the old man wanted to test Zhang’s knowledge of tea and water. He deliberately gave Zhang wrong information. But Zhang got all the answers right. The master went into another room and came back with a new cup of tea. Zhang found the second cup was a tea produced in the autumn and the first cup was made from tea leaves picked in the spring. The master was amazed by Zhang’s profound knowledge of tea and water. They became good friends.
Zhang Dai was a highly experienced water-taster. In his narrative “Master Min’s Tea”, Zhang Dai records a discussion on keeping spring water fresh. The method was very thorough: you remove all the water from a spring first. Then you wait until new water oozes into the spring. You get the fresh water into urns paved with mountain stones on the bottoms. This is a way to keep water fresh on a long journey. Zhang Dai later used this method. He organized a transportation service to get fresh water all the way from Huishan Spring in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province to Shaoxing, his hometown. Though the water was expensive, it sold well.
Zhang was constantly in search of spring water good enough to make tea up to his standard. His narrative essay “Xi Spring” gives an account of a successful search. In 1914 he took a break at a spring near Banzhu Nunnery in Shaoxing. He sampled the spring water and found it pleasant sweet and give him a very great mouth feel. So he decided to take a closer look at the color of the water. He found it amazingly crystal. Then he spotted some strokes of characters near the spring source on the rock. So he swept the rock and saw two characters Xi Spring carved on the rock. What was more amazing was the style of the calligraphy. He believed it was in the style of Wang Xizhi (303-361), the founding father of calligraphy who turned functional writing into an art. After all, Wang lived in Shaoxing for years. Zhang hastily went to the nunnery and fetched the spring water. He used the water to make tea, but it had a taste of rock. Zhang let the water cool down for three days and tried again. This time, the rock taste was gone and the tea was great. With the recommendation of Zhang Dai, the spring became well known in Shaoxing. People came in to the spring to fetch water. Some transported and marketed water and made a profit. The magistrate of Shaoxing ordered to have the spring guarded.
Zhang was so experienced in water tasting that it was as if he had a databank in his mind on all the spring waters he had ever tasted. While running a water business which fetched water from Huishan Spring and shipped it to Shaoxing, Zhang inspected every delivery. After finding one delivery tasted odd, he summoned the shipping master and asked for an explanation. The shipping master said there was no mistake. Then Zhang called all the shippers together and said the water was from a certain spring in a certain place. Everybody was astonished by Zhang’s knowledge. The truth came out. The shipping master hated going all the way to the Huishan Spring. He stopped far away from the destination and drew water from a spring and came back. □
张岱出身仕宦之家，曾漫游苏、浙、鲁、皖等地区，常盘桓于沪、宁、杭一带，游览名山大川，了解各地风情习俗、物产土宜。他性情旷达，守大节而不拘泥小节，兴趣爱好广泛。在诸多癖好中，嗜茶为甚，喜品茶鉴水。
亲制兰雪
张岱的茶癖自幼习染，秉承家风，未至不惑之年，已是茶艺精湛，冠绝一时。张岱的家乡山阴盛产日铸茶，名望素著。“日铸雪芽”在宋朝已被列为贡品，且为当时社会名流馈赠之珍品，为文人墨客所钟爱，有“越州日铸茶，为江南第一”之誉。张岱对故乡的日铸茶赞不绝口，他在《陶庵梦忆》中夸赞日铸茶隽永独特：“日铸者，越王铸剑地也。茶味棱棱，有金石之气。”传说春秋时期，越国铸剑大师欧冶子至此，一日间铸成历史上著名的“越王剑”，故名日铸。日铸茶汤浓、味酽、爽口，这也许便是张岱所赞美的“棱棱有金石之气”。然而到了明代，安徽休宁松萝茶制法精妙，名噪一时，盖过日铸。
张岱为振兴家乡茶业，改良日铸，创制新品种，招募徽州歙人专事松萝茶的师傅入日铸山授业。他在散文《兰雪茶》中自述：“遂募歙人入日铸。拘法、掐法、挪法、撒法、扇法、炒法、焙法、藏法，一如松萝。”进而他又探究泉水，发现“他泉瀹之，香气不出，煮禊泉，投以小罐，则香太浓郁，杂入茉莉，再三较量，用敞口瓷瓯淡放之。候其冷，以旋滚汤冲泻之，色如竹箨方解，绿粉初匀，又如山窗初曙，透纸黎光。取清妃白，倾向素瓷，真如百茎素兰同雪涛并泻也。雪芽得其色矣，未得其气。”张岱将新品种戏呼之曰“兰雪”，品赏把玩，自得其乐。他的这一发明后逐渐流行开来，如此四五年后，兰雪茶风靡茶市，绍兴之饮茶者一改往日饮松萝的习惯，反倒非兰雪不饮。此风播及徽州，原来徽人惟松萝茶者也改饮兰雪，“不食松萝，只食兰雪”，“松萝贬身价俯就兰雪”。后来，连松萝茶亦改名“兰雪”了，可惜今已失传。
以茶会友
在张岱的许多著作中，记述了不少生动的茶事。例如《闵老子茶》，详尽记录了张岱与精于茶道的著名老茶人闵汶水的品茶辨泉的经过，极为生动，富有茶趣。明崇祯十一年(1638)九月的一天，张岱专程前往桃叶渡拜访闵老子。张岱想亲口品尝这位高手煎的茶，可偏巧闵汶水大清早便外出，张岱等到午后，闵老子才回家。谁知闽老子进屋后只是简单和张岱寒暄几句，便又借故径自出门去了。张岱已经等了老半天，好不容易等到他回来，却又走了，但是为了能品尝到这位高手煎的茶，只好耐着性子继续等下去。直到夜深时分，闵老子方慢悠悠地返回。一进门，看了张岱一眼，颇为奇怪地问：“客人你还在啊？你在这里干什么呢？”张岱恭敬地回答：“慕汶老久，今日不畅饮汶老茶，决不回去。”汶水有感于张岱的一番诚意，遂大喜，“自起当炉”，把煎茶绝技展示出来，并带张岱至内室，展示其收藏的茶具，“荆溪壶（宜兴紫砂壶）、成宣窑瓷瓯十余种，皆精绝”。闵汶水瀹茶后，有心考考张岱，故意不说出茶与泉的真名。张岱精于茶艺，尝遍天下名茶，现在亲眼见到如此精绝茶汤，啜了一口，便问闵汶水：“此茶产于何地？”闵老子随便回答：“四川阆中产的阆苑茶。”张岱在灯光下见茶汤之色与瓷瓯之色无别，而茶香溢人，但是他对闵汶水的说法表示怀疑，又品了一口，说：“汶老别哄我，这茶是阆苑的制法，但滋味却不像！”闵汶水微微一笑，说：“那么你说，是什么茶？”张岱再品之，说：“极似罗芥茶。”闵汶水惊曰：“奇、奇。”张岱又问水是何水。闵汶水说：“惠泉。”张岱又说：“别哄我，惠泉在千里之外，何能鲜爽不损？”汶水对张岱的精鉴连连称奇，抽身而去，不一会儿，又持一壶满斟，递给张岱。张岱品鉴道：“此茶香烈味酵，乃春茶也，刚才喝的是秋茶。”闵老子听罢开怀大笑，方识眼前这位茶客是品茗鉴水的行家，乃茶中知己，他不得不承认：“予年七十，精赏鉴者，无客比。”两人遂结成忘年交。
张岱不仅在散文《闵老子茶》中追记真人真事，还在论茶时发出无限慨叹：“金陵闵老子死后，茶之一道绝矣!”这不能不说是中国茶史上的一段佳话。
寻泉访水
龙井茶、虎跑水被誉为“双绝”。我国古代茶艺就是茶与水的艺术配对和组合，佳茗配佳泉，凡提品茗，总是把茶和水联在一块的。茶的色、香、味、形便是通过水的冲泡溶解，以眼观、鼻闻、口尝的方式提供茶人以享受的。善品茶者，必善品水。历代文人品泉择水都以惠山泉为上，明代文人尤其如此。张岱是鉴水行家，在散文《闵老子茶》中就有写到他与闵老子论泉的事。闵老子向张岱传授了保持泉水鲜爽之法：“在汲水前先淘净泉井，待子时后新泉涌现时才汲取，并用山石铺垫瓮底。运水之舟非江风满帆则不行船，所以才保持了水的鲜活。”张岱得知此法后，为了得到惠山泉，还组织过一个专门运送惠泉水的物流机构，按上述方法定时运输，收取水费。由于惠泉珍贵，加上运程远，供不应求。
为解决品茗用水，张岱经常寻泉访水。此事他在散文《禊泉》中有所记述：明万历四十二年(1614)，他途经斑竹庵，取庵边泉水品尝，其水质磷磷有圭角，清冽甘美，他大感惊异，于是他坐在泉井边观看水色，但见水色有如“秋月霜空，噗天为白”，又如“轻岚出岫，缭松迷石，淡淡欲散”。随后，他忽然发现布满苔藓的泉水口有字划，便用帚刷洗，只见露出“禊泉”二字，书法甚似王右军，这使他更加惊异。于是，他住进斑竹庵，汲取泉水，烹煮瀹茶，水注入后，茶香溢出。但他发觉刚汲的泉水有股石腥味，待放置三日后，石腥味才尽散。这篇散文绘声绘色地表现了他善于辨水的高超本领。本来品水如参禅，全凭悟性，只可意会，不可言传，可张岱能用精微的文字表述出来，真是举重若轻，游刃有余。禊泉澄澈清冷，水质甘洌，相传为晋代大书法家王羲之于永和九年(353)三月初三与当时名士谢安等会集绍兴兰亭修禊宴饮之泉。张岱对禊泉大加推崇，认为杭州虎跑水、会稽陶溪水、萧山北干水均不能与禊泉为伍。禊泉与惠泉也不相上下，惠泉水经过长途运输会变质，禊泉水随汲随饮，其鲜活自然胜惠泉一筹。从此禊泉受到茶人重视，民众纷纷前往汲取，甚至有人以此牟利，装瓮出售。消息传到绍兴太守董方伯耳中，他差人取水品饮，果然甘美无比。犹恐泉水供应不足，他便下令封泉，未经许可，不准汲取。这样禊泉反而声名大振。
张岱辨水品泉之精，达到出神入化的地步，其辨水本领不亚于唐之陆羽、李德裕，宋之王安石、苏轼。当年张岱经营运输惠山泉水业务时，他的手下人为了省力，未到惠山，在半路上随便汲水运回。张岱一品味，发现不对，但是当差的百般抵赖。于是张岱召集运水的差人，当场品泉辨水，说出这是某地某泉的水，众人大为惊诧，便将实话说了出来。张岱不愧是辨水的高手行家，自称“水淫茶癖”，名不虚传。□
Zhang Dai: ea and Water Gourmet
By Liu Lufeng
In the history of Chinese tea, the most prominent figures are scholars. In ancient times, scholars enjoyed tea and wrote books on various aspects of the healthy beverage. Lu Yu (733-804) wrote The Book of Tea, the world’s very first encyclopedic book on tea. Zhang Dai (1597-1679), a preeminent essayist of the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, was one of these scholarly tea gourmets.
Zhang Dai, a native of Shaoxing in eastern Zhejiang Province, was celebrated for his fresh and concise prose style and witty humor. He is also known for a significant role he played in the history of tea. He was well versed in tea and he wrote quite a few essays on tea. For this reason, he is known as a tea essayist.
Boy and man, Zhang liked tea and became a knowledgeable tea scholar and gourmet. His extensive travel across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui, all tea-production provinces in eastern China, gave him wide experience and knowledge in tea and water. Now it happens that Zhang’s hometown Shaoxing once produced a famous tea called Rizhu Tea. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279) the tea was a tribute to the royal house and a good gift among social celebrities. It was loved by literati. By the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the brand had deteriorated and Songluo Tea made in the neighboring Anhui Province had become better known on the market. In order to revive the local production, Zhang Dai employed masters of Songluo Tea from Anhui. In Zhang’s employment, the masters used the same process to produce Rizhu Tea. With the tea quality solved, Zhang turned his eyes to the way of steeping tea. After numerous experiments, he invented a sophisticated way to make tea with spring water. The formula made a good cup of tea. In a few years, his formula became very popular. Zhang named it Snow Orchid. Tea drinkers in Shaoxing all gave up Songluo Tea and got converted to Snow Orchid. Even tea drinkers in Anhui became addicted to Snow Orchid.
Zhang Dai wrote “Master Min’s Tea” to record his visit to an experienced tea master surnamed Min. In September 1638, Zhang Dai went to visit the master. But the master had left in the early morning. Zhang waited for his return patiently. The master came back in the afternoon. But after a brief greeting, the master left again. Zhang had to wait. It was not until late at night that the master came back. The master became extremely curious why the guest was still there. Zhang replied reverently that he wanted to have a cup of tea made by the master and that he would not leave until he had the drink. Master Min was overjoyed to meet such a tea fanatic. So he started a fire and began to prepare tea. While tea was in the making, the master showed Zhang his collection of precious tea sets. Then the master served Zhang Dai a cup of tea. Zhang tasted it and asked what tea it was. Now the old man wanted to test Zhang’s knowledge of tea and water. He deliberately gave Zhang wrong information. But Zhang got all the answers right. The master went into another room and came back with a new cup of tea. Zhang found the second cup was a tea produced in the autumn and the first cup was made from tea leaves picked in the spring. The master was amazed by Zhang’s profound knowledge of tea and water. They became good friends.
Zhang Dai was a highly experienced water-taster. In his narrative “Master Min’s Tea”, Zhang Dai records a discussion on keeping spring water fresh. The method was very thorough: you remove all the water from a spring first. Then you wait until new water oozes into the spring. You get the fresh water into urns paved with mountain stones on the bottoms. This is a way to keep water fresh on a long journey. Zhang Dai later used this method. He organized a transportation service to get fresh water all the way from Huishan Spring in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province to Shaoxing, his hometown. Though the water was expensive, it sold well.
Zhang was constantly in search of spring water good enough to make tea up to his standard. His narrative essay “Xi Spring” gives an account of a successful search. In 1914 he took a break at a spring near Banzhu Nunnery in Shaoxing. He sampled the spring water and found it pleasant sweet and give him a very great mouth feel. So he decided to take a closer look at the color of the water. He found it amazingly crystal. Then he spotted some strokes of characters near the spring source on the rock. So he swept the rock and saw two characters Xi Spring carved on the rock. What was more amazing was the style of the calligraphy. He believed it was in the style of Wang Xizhi (303-361), the founding father of calligraphy who turned functional writing into an art. After all, Wang lived in Shaoxing for years. Zhang hastily went to the nunnery and fetched the spring water. He used the water to make tea, but it had a taste of rock. Zhang let the water cool down for three days and tried again. This time, the rock taste was gone and the tea was great. With the recommendation of Zhang Dai, the spring became well known in Shaoxing. People came in to the spring to fetch water. Some transported and marketed water and made a profit. The magistrate of Shaoxing ordered to have the spring guarded.
Zhang was so experienced in water tasting that it was as if he had a databank in his mind on all the spring waters he had ever tasted. While running a water business which fetched water from Huishan Spring and shipped it to Shaoxing, Zhang inspected every delivery. After finding one delivery tasted odd, he summoned the shipping master and asked for an explanation. The shipping master said there was no mistake. Then Zhang called all the shippers together and said the water was from a certain spring in a certain place. Everybody was astonished by Zhang’s knowledge. The truth came out. The shipping master hated going all the way to the Huishan Spring. He stopped far away from the destination and drew water from a spring and came back. □